Midnight ride for Towson’s homeless
As the temperatures dipped down to record lows this week, Rob Williams was getting worried about the homeless people in his area. So, he and his friend John Falconer began collecting blankets, food, foot warmers and other donated items from their Rodgers Forge neighbors in an effort to help the homeless during the cold snap.
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- Rob Williams, a Rodgers Forge resident and Citizens on Patrol volunteer, stacks blankets in the living room of his home just after midnight on Thursday, Jan. 9, 2014 before taking them out to give to Towson’s homeless to help during the recent cold snap. (Jon Sham/BSMG)
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- John Falconer, right, a fellow volunteer of Rob Williams, talks to his friend in the kitchen while he packs bread and soup to give to homeless people in Towson, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2014. (Jon Sham/BSMG)
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- A homeless woman named Belinda stands in front of a Royal Farms store in Towson on Thursday, Jan. 9, 2014, asking passersby how to get on the right bus and if they’ll help her get something to eat. (Jon Sham/BSMG)
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- A homeless woman named Belinda asks Rob Williams to buy her something to eat while standing in front of a Royal Farms in Towson. Thursday, Jan. 9, 2014. (Jon Sham/BSMG)
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- John Falconer’s Citizens on Patrol car is parked at a Royal Farms in Towson where he and Rob Williams have gone inside to buy food to bring to homeless people early Thursday morning, Jan. 9, 2014. The Pumpkin Ale boxes at left contain cups of soup for the homeless as well. (Jon Sham/BSMG)
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- Rob Williams chats with his friend John Falconer and a police officer (not pictured) in the parking lot of a Royal Farms in Towson as the two Rodgers Forge residents prepare for a night of driving around looking to offer food and blankets to homeless people, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2014. (Jon Sham/BSMG)
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- During an early morning drive around Towson Thursday, Jan. 9, 2014, looking to give food and blankets to the homeless, John Falconer, right, and Rob Williams (not pictured) run into a homeless man named Timmy, left, who they had met before. (Jon Sham/BSMG)
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- John Falconer, left, and Rob Williams pose for a photo in Williams’ Rodgers Forge home holding on to some of the remaining blankets from their early morning trip around Towson to provide food and warmth to area homeless people. Thursday, Jan. 9, 2014. (Jon Sham/BSMG)
The pair, both members of the local Citizens on Patrol, have been driving around Towson in the early hours of the day (they usually start around midnight), handing out blankets and food, and trying to find as many people living on the streets as they can.
As Wednesday, Jan. 8 turned to Thursday, Williams and Falconer allowed me and Towson Times reporter Jon Meoli to tag along in their tightly-packed sedan to document their experience.
The video was shot, mostly handheld, on a Nikon D610 camera with a 24-70mm f/2.8 lens and at ISOs that ranged from 1600-3200.
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John Falconer
Jan 11, 2014 @ 00:31:07
Jon, the Stills and Vid edit are outstanding!
Rob Williams
Jan 10, 2014 @ 18:29:45
Hi Jeanne. You can email me at robertw613@gmail.com Thanks.
Jeanne Hurdel
Jan 10, 2014 @ 13:20:11
I am happy to see that someone is trying to help out the homeless in Towson. I don’t know how to get in touch with these people. I am willing to cook a large pot of soup for them to give to the homeless.